


Ghost Cuddles

by Lesbian_Writings



Series: Mitchell was never supposed to be happy. [2]
Category: Hunt Down The Freeman (Video Game)
Genre: Character Death, Ghosts, M/M, i didnt mean for this to be this long but here we ARE, not edited or beta read
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:34:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25902136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lesbian_Writings/pseuds/Lesbian_Writings
Summary: listen. none of us wanted this. i just have brain rot and am publishing a SECOND hdtf fic. this is spiritual successor to my first one but you don't need to read the first one to understand this.
Relationships: adam/mitchell, adam/mitchell/nick implied, adam/nick, mitchell/nick
Series: Mitchell was never supposed to be happy. [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1879735
Comments: 1
Kudos: 6





	Ghost Cuddles

Adam was dead. He had been left to die in the water. When Nick eventually found out something changed in his eyes. Mitch couldn’t pinpoint what but now Nick was avoiding him and the ship seemed much quieter and more empty. There had been a few jokes about this being a ghost ship that Mitch had ignored as he didn’t believe in ghosts. Why would he? He’s killed before and the only thing that haunted him was PTSD and childhood trauma. 

Mitch begins to believe that they were warnings and not jokes. 

It was small at first. Cold spots in places Adam had frequented, puddles of water in places where there shouldn’t be any, sometimes Mitch could hear Adam screaming on the deck late at night but he chalked it all up to nothing and just his imagination. 

He also began to have more nightmares.

They started simply enough. The stuff he already was used to like his father’s death, running away with Adrian, losing Adrian, his time before Black Mesa, dying like for real and being brought back, sometimes the man in the suit’s eyes would be the only thing he saw in a pitch-black void and it’d be that until he woke up. You know, the usual. But now it was mostly Adam. And it probably would be tonight as well. 

As Mitch laid down in his lonely bed in his lonely room on this lonely ship he felt so completely and utterly alone. And it felt right. Mitchell Shephard was never supposed to be happy as he was a higher power’s punching bag. Some sad soap opera they watched when they wanted to feel better and point and laugh at the life they had made for him to say “Well at least I’m not that guy.” How else would you explain everything that’s happened to him? 

He was too tired to continue that train of thought now. So as Mitch drifted off to sleep with a heart full of resentment at the world and anger at mostly himself he swore he heard something. No someone in the back of his mind laugh. And It sounded like Adam.

Mitch found himself on the deck after it had all happened, the blood still fresh beneath his boots, and the waves still crashing. Aside from the blood, it was normal. Until a hand slammed down on the steel of the deck and a loud series of coughing and gagging followed suit as the person crawled their way up onto the deck. Mitch couldn’t move as the person was soon revealed to be Adam. 

Adam was soaking wet and as he stood, he didn’t look like himself. His skin was blueish and his teeth were far too sharp and there were far too many of them, not forgetting the wound in his leg or stomach that continue to pour blood. Adam peeled a piece of seaweed off his shoulder and looked Mitch dead in the eyes. “Can’t keep me down forever fucker.” As he spoke a mixture of blood and sew water fell out of his mouth but it didn’t sound like it. 

Adam looked almost like a zombie if Mitch was honest. Adam seemed to chuckle which slowly grew into a laugh. “If you didn’t die what makes you think I would stay dead? You have to live with the guilt of killing someone who loved you. I really did love you you know. It was the only time I wasn’t just saying shit to keep me out of trouble. And you killed me. Threw me over into the freezing cold waters without a care. Like I was _garbage._ I mean I guess it’s fair. I did kill you after all but it hurts. The cold water surrounding you and making you open your mouth so it can flood into your body is an awful experience. Probably not dissimilar to getting beat to death with a crowbar. Can we call it even? We both killed each other after all. I’d say it’s fair.” Mitch tried to move his mouth to say anything but found that he couldn’t and that he also couldn’t move. So Mitch was just left to stand there as the reminder of what could’ve been tormented him. 

“So you’re just not gonna say anything? I usually like the strong silent types but I need communication here baby.” Adam laughed a salt coated laugh as he stepped closer to Mitch. “I think we could’ve had something. Maybe we still can. I never really left after all.” Adam tapped the side of Mitch’s head then his heart. “After all, I still live in there and there. As much as you hate it. Now wake up. And don’t ignore me anymore.” 

Mitch woke up with a jolt and slowly he sat upright, he dragged his hands down his face as he calmed himself down from his nightmare. Surely it was nothing. He looked over to his side and noticed a small puddle. Mitch got out of bed to investigate and found that it was water and blood. There was nothing to suggest it was a person then remembered what Adam had said to him in his dream.

_“Dont ignore me anymore.”_

There’s no way that Adam was haunting him right? Ghosts weren’t real and Adam was dead. Nothing would change that. But also he couldn’t just leave this puddle here. Mitch got dressed for the day and grabbed a mop before he went back to clean up the puddle that was already gone when he got back. 

_“Oh, I cleaned up for you. Now before you say “I’m a manifestation of your guilt.” “I’m just a hallucination” “You’ve finally gone mad”. I’m real Mitchell. I’m real and I live in your head and heart. I’ve lived here longer than I’ve been dead in fact.”_

Mitch looked around, assuming he was just hearing things. Until the same bastard from his dreams. Adam stood in front of Mitch with a shit-eating grin. _“I’m back baby. Well technically I never left but that’s beside the point. You never answered me. Can we call it even? You killed me, I tried to kill you. I think we’re fair now.”_ Mitch’s face betrayed nothing of what he felt which was a cocktail of emotions that he didn’t want to think about right now. “No. You betrayed me. I thought we were friends but it turns out you were my murderer the whole time. So no we’re not “even”. How are you even alive?” _“I’m not. I’m dead. My body is crab food right now but I’ve been haunting you since I died. I only just got strong enough to really show myself to you. Right now you’re the only one who can see me. Can’t wait to make you look crazy.”_

\---

A few months after Adam had first appeared and started haunting him and Nick seemed less scared to be around him Mitch and Nick were talking and going over what they would need on the next supply run and how soon that run would need to be. Mitch didn’t notice anything was off until he asked a question and Nick didn’t answer. Mitch looked up from the list to him and saw the other man staring over his shoulder.

What the fuck was over Mitch’s shoulder. There was no way it was what Nick thought it was. There was no fucking way that it was Adam. Adam was dead and he was too late to maybe save him. He should’ve run after them. Was this his own guilt? Was he just seeing things? Nick was frozen as he stared at the… Hallucination? A figment of imagination? A manifestation of guilt? Ghost? Nick felt his heart rate slowly raise as he stared at the thing with Adam’s face and it stared back at him. _“Hey, Mitch… I don’t think Nick’s alright.”_ It tapped Mitch’s shoulder and pointed at him. Nick slowly started breathing faster and faster As he just stared at the see through the thing with Adam’s face. 

“M- Mitch… Did you also hear that?” Mitch looked at Adam and sighed. “So you can see him too now huh?” “What the _fuck_ do you mean.” “You may wanna sit down. You look like you’re about to pass out.” Nick nods and takes a seat, not even noticing how shaky he was. “Adam’s dead, We both know that. But he’s technically haunting me now. Something about being vengeful and other bullshit.” _“That’s not it. I’m dead but pieces of me are still alive in Mitch here and you. So I’m still tied to both of you and I can only go so far from both of you. But I also have all the makings of a perfect haunting so here I am.”_

“Wh- what are the makings of a “perfect haunting”?” _“I was murdered brutally by someone I love, thrown to the sea, had tension with them before death, you know the type of stuff that gets put in bad horror movies trying to hard to make a point and missing it entirely.”_ “Okay, I guess...” _“Are you just in shock? I thought you’d react more to me liking Mitch.”_ “No, no. I knew. Everybody did. You two were the only ones that didn’t know.” “Wait really?” “Yeah, you two weren’t subtle. Did you think that going into the supply closet and locking it for a few hours was subtle? We all knew. Anyway, Adam’s a fucking ghost, like, there are other things going on right now than your everlasting gay drama. Also, I technically won the betting pool so I need to collect on that later.” _“There were bets?”_ “Of course there were. You two dancing around your feelings was the main source of entertainment for twenty years.”

Adam and Mitch looked at each other and Nick couldn’t read either of their faces as he was mostly focused on his own emotions. Adam was back. And… Nick missed him. Nick cared about Mitch and Adam… What that fully meant was something he would look into later. Having Adam back meant that maybe he could do better by him this time. Maybe Mitch could actually get some rest. For now, this was something he just had to deal with. They probably didn’t care about him the way he cared about them anyway. That always was one of Nick’s main weaknesses. He always cared for people who didn’t care about him. These were thoughts for another time. Nick could worry about this later.

\--- 

Fun fact about ghosts: they don’t need sleep. And Adam specifically doesn’t shut up. These were facts that Mitch had to deal with when he was just trying to sleep and Adam insisted on laying in bed with him to quote, “keep him company” and “make up for lost time”. It didn’t matter what Mitch said since Adam was going to be in his bed anyway. 

Adam wasn’t solid. That fact was clear when every time Adam tried to cuddle Mitch his arm just left a cold spot through Mitch’s stomach. But just because it was cold doesn’t mean that it didn’t bring Mitch real comfort. And for the first time in a while, Mitch slept relatively peacefully. 

The next time Adam appeared in front of Nick he had just gotten out of the shower and the ghost was just standing there, almost waiting for him. Luckily Nick had a towel on when he turned to fully face Adam. But that didn’t stop him from almost slipping when he noticed him. “Fucking christ Adam-” _“Looking as good as ever Nick.”_ “Have you never heard of privacy?” _“I’ve heard of it. Sounds boring honestly. Why wait for you to get dressed when I could just see you now?”_ “Cause I’m not dressed! Why are you even here?” _“I wanted to talk to you. Like seriously and one on one. I’m tied to you as well Nick.”_ “Sure we can talk just- just give me a minute. And get out.”

When Nick got back to his room and found Adam sitting on his bed he sighed. So it’s all been real. “So what did you want to talk about? You said it was important.” Adam sighed and got off the bed, motioning for Nick to sit down which he did. _“Okay so… I didn’t really want to tell you this but Mitchell said I should since it’s kind of important. God how do I say this… Okay so you know I like Mitchell right?”_ Nick nodded, not totally sure where this was going. _“I’m tied to him because of that. He still has good memories of me in his head and he felt the same way so I’m still in his heart. Basically this is all a long-winded way of asking if you also like me cause I’m also tied to you and if you do that’s cool I’d be up for maybe making something work cause I can’t say that I haven’t thought of you like that and like-”_

“You’re rambling. You’re asking if I like you right? Like I’d want to date you?” Adam nodded, fiddling with pieces of seaweed that just seemed to always be on him. “I… I do like you Adam. Wow, that’s weird to say out loud. Anyway, I do like you but… You’re a ghost. I’m not sure if that’s something I can get around. I mean I also like Mitch so it’s not like that’s the main issue here but you’re dead and I feel like I didn’t do enough to help you. I should’ve run after you both not just when I heard the first shot. And I’ve been dealing with that guilt for a while now… I just… I need a bit to think okay? It’s not a no but it’s not a yes either. I need some time to really process how I feel.” Adam nodded and faded away, in his spot was a puddle and the smell of an ocean breeze.

Nick cared about Adam and Mitch, he really did but Mitch fucking killed Adam and sure it may not have been permanent but Adam’s still fucking dead and he obviously didn’t take it to hard but the weeks that Nick spent paranoid? He’s not going to get those back. The fear that he or any of the kids the three of them raised together would get the same treatment, one that Mitch has shown before when he sent some of them out to die needlessly mind you, terrified him and still does. He can’t just act on a crush he’s had for twenty years now. Especially not now. He has to be there for the children if Mitch won’t be. He avoided Mitch for weeks and on the times he couldn’t avoid him he got away as quickly as he could. The fear that comes with thinking someone you love and care about is going to kill you since they already killed someone else you love and care about isn’t something that can just be wiped away. So excuse him for needing more time.

The more time Adam spent around Mitch the more guilt and regret was added onto the already large pile he had. It hit him soon after he watched Adam’s body float behind the ship, watching the waves wash over him and slowly take him farther down the bottom of the ocean. It hit him harder when he noticed Nick avoiding him and the soldiers following orders perfectly. He becomes feared. Something he never really wanted. But it hurt even more now that Adam was tied to him. The way Adam talked made it seem as if nothing had even happened. The cold arm through his stomach every night became a comfort. The way Adam talked and still cared about him. He didn’t deserve it. He didn’t deserve any of it. Adam should’ve been trying to kill him back. He didn’t deserve kindness. He never did. 

It had been months since Adam first came back. Wounds had been mostly closed and the question Adam asked him so long ago still lingered in Nick’s mind. _“Do you also like me?”_ And as much as Nick hated to say it. The answer was yes. He still liked Adam and Mitch. Normally he would tell them but that’s kind of difficult when one’s a ghost and the other is always busy. And also he doesn’t want to think of the implications of what dating a ghost and man who came back from the dead makes him. Mitch also finally explained what happened and why he killed Adam. It didn’t make it okay in the slightest but at least Nick knew why now. It cleared up a fair bit. 

Right now Mitch and Nick were sitting and eating. They sat across from each other as they ate in silence, Adam nowhere to be seen or heard just yet. They sat in silence until Nick spoke up. “So part of the reason that Adam is still technically here is cause he’s “still alive in your heart” right?” Mitch nodded, not bothering to look up from his food. “... Were you in love with him? I mean I joke about you two very obviously liking each other but had things gone differently… Would you be dating him?” Mitch sighed and rubbed his hand over his buzzed hair. “I… I don’t know. I could’ve loved him. I think I did at some point… There’s probably some leftover feelings especially since Adam’s here. But I could ask you the same thing since he’s tied to you as well.” 

Nick chuckled dryly. If he was honest it was a topic he had been avoiding with himself. He shrugged before he really started talking. “I care about you both. I know that much. I… Do think I can love you both but… Adam’s a fucking ghost and you’re technically undead. So I’ve kind of been avoiding thinking about it. But if you or him asked to kiss I wouldn’t outright say no you know?” Mitch huffed a little with a small smile to show he thought what Nick said was funny and nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I get it. He managed to worm his way into your heart too huh?” Nick nodded. “Unfortunately.” He joked, smiling some. This was nice. This was the first time him and Mitch had really had banter like this since he killed Adam. And now they were the ones dancing around their feelings. Maybe things could be relatively normal again. Just maybe.

**Author's Note:**

> i blame the hdtf server for this mostly those bitches got me ATTACHED


End file.
